With 13 vehicles known to be effected by the program in total, and others previously revealed, the final outline now seems to be in place. Although only one all-electric seems to be in the mix, a 300-mile, crossover planned for 2020, we can take some solace that they include a number of Energi (Ford’s plug-in hybrid drivetrain) models.

If the AN’s source is to be believed, the remaining vehicles include the plug-ins Escape Energi, along with its Lincoln twin, the MKC (no word on whether Lincoln models will get Ford’s Energi badging). The 15-mpg (city) Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigators are named as future recipients of a hybrid option. These are all planned to debut in 2019.

To recap the vehicles known so far, adding to the four mentioned above, we have the F-150 hybrid, Mustang hybrid, Transit Custom hybrid, Transit Custom Energi, two “electrified police vehicles” (most likely plug-less hybrids based on existing hybrids), and the aforementioned all-electric 300-mile CUV. These were all made known to us in January. Trademark discoveries made last May should add a Focus Energi and Explorer Energi to this list, along with the Kuga, the European rebadge of the Escape.

While we are encouraged by news of more plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), we had hoped for a more aggressive turn towards all-electrics. Perhaps we’ll learn of an update to this plan when CEO Jim Hackett speaks to investors about Ford’s future on October 3.

Considering, though, a recent post by the Blue Oval’s Vice President of Autonomous Vehicles and Electrification Sherif Marakby that argues hybrids have range and refueling profiles that work better than electrics with autonomous vehicles (really? I mean, REALLY???), we don’t expect any major surprises.
Source: Automotive News

The Escape was hybrid for a while. they licensed Toyota’s HSD.
They should’ve worked to get the Escape to step up to a PHEV but they put their efforts into the Fugly CMax Energi.
A PHEV Escape would’ve sold much more.

The old Escape Hybrid was a nice small SUV. It started to sell fairly well when gas prices went up, unsurprisingly.
When Ford asked Aisin to build more Escape CVT’s so that Ford could sell more Escape Hybrids, Aisin said, “Sorry, no can do!”
Oddly enough, Aisin is owned in large part by Toyota… 😉

Yeah, with as cheap as battery cells are getting, the difference between a smaller and larger battery is becoming less significant. In the not too distant future the hardware surrounding the cells will make up an equal part of the total pack cost.

Ford has tons of credit vehicles available, so no excuse for putting anything less than 16kwh. Even that amount will be laughable in two years.

For bulky non-aerodynamic vehicles like SUVs & pick-ups….I think it will be a while before PHEV technology is obsolete for them.

You can certainly make them pure electric but the batteries would be huge and it would push the price up high. But most of these cars only drive 20 to 50 miles a day so why not go PHEV such that you slash gasoline usage by 50 to 80%. When then need to go fare then filler up.

I understand your comments, and it certainly is a possibility we’ll see PHEV in trucks & large SUVs for a while.

However… I live in a “hick town” outside of Seattle, and see large pickup trucks on the roads all the time. They’re always empty – owners never haul anything with those trucks. The attraction to these large trucks & SUVs does appear to be emotional. Consequently, I think there will be a period of time where trucks & SUVs will be somewhat smaller until battery prices fall significantly below $100/KWH.

(I own a small SUV – same size as a Ford Escape / Toyota RAV-4 / etc – and haul stuff in it all the time, including appliances. It meets my needs. If I need to haul something big – like a mattress – then I rent a trailer.)

Again, the BMW REX design is really superior to all other hybrid designs, because it’s mostly an EV, has the power, the acceleration, the quiet, and the efficiency of an EV.

But, if you drive out of the EV range circle you can still fall back on a gas engine in rural America.

Turning on the REX engine on the highway, you literally cannot hear it. ( So, coding the REX is the optimal solution. )
Only run the REX between destination cities/towns. Then you never hear it but get the full benefit.

The Chevrolet Volt is really just as capable of a PHEV as the i3 Rex. While it does have less EV range, it’s still plenty fast in EV mode (and can even outrun an i3 Rex) and has a more capable gas engine for those longer trips at high speed. I speak of this objectively since we have both an i3 and a Volt. Both are great cars, but the technology in the Volt is actually superior aside from the smaller battery pack.

I can go with this. Regarding the Volt, I’ve written several times on these message boards that you can always try to sell an AWD CUV to a sedan shopper. But… you can’t sell a sedan to an AWD CUV/SUV shopper looking for real utility.

I’m not saying it was bad car. It wasn’t. It was just poorly targeted car. The Caddy market just wasn’t the plug-in market. I know you love yours but if you look at the ELR sales numbers…it just didn’t sell.

I traded my 4 year old roadster in for an ELR – even though the roadster had high mileage, (around 48,000 miles) I didn’t have to pay a penny for the ELR – they effectively sold me the new ELR for $50,000 – which, was a very fair price for the roadster. This particular dealership gave me a deal which was effectively $30,500 better than my next best offer, and they made significant money on the Roadster which they sold in a week to a well healed guy in Texas.

It is NOT a ‘land yacht’. It is Car and Driver’s best performing hybrid sport coupe to date.

I complained to the Caddy dealer that their ‘highly rated’ 8-speed transmission (XTS or ATS – i forget but it is one of their pricier sedans I got for a loaner one day) can’t hold a candle to the ELR’s performance – and while the ICE vehicle has much better performance ‘on paper’ I found the thing was like driving a Boat and I wanted my ‘high-performance’ Sport Coupe ELR back asap.

That is why it frustrates me that supposedly ‘EV enthusiasts’ trash the car when they don’t have the vaguest idea about anything about it.

The ELR sold as well as the Roadster in a much shorter length of time.

Agreed, I would like a vehicle like this for my next vehicle (currently in a Volt), but I won’t upgrade until something like it is available. I know I’m not the only one that feels this way, if GM doesn’t get their act together they will lose all of the good will they built up with the Volt, as if someone else does a good CUV plugin with a decent (18-20kwhrish) battery I’ll be one of the first in line.

Either way GM won’t be getting another purchase from me unless they make something like it.

Escape is the next best selling vehicle after F-Series trucks and it makes perfect sense to add a plugin. Ideally they should add a hybrid also to Escape.
Since MKC shares the same frame and powertrain, they can apply it to that model.

And for C-Max, they have to get the lighter European version which should net 50 MPG+ for the hybrid and a 30 mile AER for plugin.

Had Mark Fields (previouse CEO) done this, he could have saved his job. He deliberately delayed it.

Ford’, bring a truck company and their financial commitment to the combustion engine is holding them back. EVs are in competition or a disruption to their core business. Which is why 99% of their ‘electrification’ efforts will come with a combustion engine, and all its maintenance/parts revenue generation opportunities dealerships expect.

The expectation is that NA and Europe will at least get 31 EV miles from the PHEV since China requires this for incentives.

But Ford does need a separate EV business. Which it sounds like they are planning for this in China, and maybe exporting EVs to the rest of the world, since they are willing to export the Focus back to the US.

However, Ford’s EV commitment will be tied an actual EV platform along with a battery factory, which they have not committed to or shown evidence of either.

And that 300 mile EV is now to be a ‘small’ CUV, which sounds like a next gen C-Max EV….somethign similar to the Bolt. A small vehicle designed for low volume.

Bot expecting much from Ford as it relates to EVs, since Ford really has not offered much.

Even an Escape PHEV could be pretty impressive. The Escape is available with AWD and Adaptive Criuse Control and is rated to tow up 3,500 pounds. But I’m never again buying anything that burns gas.

I would much rather spend my money on extra battery capacity than an extra motor. I want an electrified SUV but if PHEVs is all Ford has got coming I’ll happily wait with my FFE and my gas burner SUV that only gets used to haul loads. A lot of manufacturers are talking about building real BEV SUVs so I don’t think I’ll have to wait long.

First one with a 30+ mile, plugin, hybrid, AWD CUV wins. Seriously, I want this car. I don’t need 50 miles, I don’t need it to be fast.

My mind is blown that Chevy isn’t doing this already. Their tech is impressive, they just need to pull the trigger.

Just stuff a version of the Volt powertrain in something shaped like an Equinox or Colorado. Mileage will drop to 30 and it won’t be fast. That’s OK. Just make it efficient, quiet, versatile, and able to handle driving through 8″ of snow.